From Esther Nagler:
After watching it several times with one of my roommates my stomach hurt so bad from laughing and then my roommate turns to me and asks ‘what is this ad even for?’ I laughed even harder and said ‘some energy drink’ then she replied by saying ‘i’m so going to get one’. Now she was completely kidding and i cant remember the last time we thought it would be a good idea to get an energy drink but if for some odd reason we found ourselves at 7-11 standing in front of the energy drink section i know we would pick this particular one out and laugh and joke the whole time while getting jittery and tweaked out from the drink. Anyway that is totally beyond the point, the point is this commercial is SO hilarious and i can almost bet that every college student can relate to this in one way or another. Point is… watch it and share you experience of your worst walk of shame to the person next to you.

I found this article about how Microsoft has been posting their new Windows Vista ads on YouTube along with video demonstrations made specifically for the site to showcase Vista’s features. I think this is a smart move on Microsoft’s part because it gives PC owners and potential customers a chance to explore Vista before purchasing the product. However, the article points out that these videos on YouTube have also made Microsoft more vulnerable to criticism about their operating system because users can leave comments regarding the videos that cannot be edited by Microsoft. Many of these comments are negative, pointing out the flaws in Vista or describing their experiences with better systems, like Macs. It seems to me that Microsoft took a risk here by posting Vista ads on the Internet, especially on a site that is not their own. On the one hand, I’m sure these videos drew in way more viewers than they would have if they were only found on Microsoft’s home website, but on the other hand, when people start bashing on Vista and Microsoft as a company, they have no control over this content being shown directly alongside their ads. Either way, I think it is always good to get consumers talking about your product, so this buzz (either positive or negative) is probably good for the company overall.

From Jamison Merrill
So, here is a very clever, awesome advertising campaign done by Ogilvy, an advertising agency located in Hungary. When I saw these ads I immediately liked them because of the humor and wit in each ad. I like how for each person can perceive these ads in different ways. For me, I immediately saw dog, mug and rat first and overlooked god, gum and art. But to anyone else this could be different.

This ad also brings a lot of resonance for me, thinking about time spent with family and friends. I think about the times during family vacations where we are playing Scrabble and I am stuck on 3 letters and just may be overlooking a very simple word, like dog, art, or gum.

Personally, I don’t think Scrabble is going get an advertising campaign more creative then this one done by Ogilvy.

How do you participate?
First, you should email content to Professor Sheehan. What exactly it is content? It is an ad that you found online (such as a YouTube video), a posting on a blog relevant to advertising, a news story about advertising or another class topic, anything that strikes you as being something you'd like to share with the class. I'll post your content and give you credit. Second, you should read the postings and comment on them. Anyone can comment.
Check the syllabus for specific requirements in terms of number of postings and deadlines, and number of comments and deadlines.
Also, keep an eye out for items that may be on an exam!